May is National Bike Month, a time when communities and schools across the nation like to do a little bit extra to encourage active transportation. Bike Month is an opportunity to celebrate the unique power of the bicycle and the many reasons we ride. On May 1, 2014 the University of Texas kicked off the month with a Bike To UT Day.
Bianca Juarez and Sam Cortez from University of Texas Parking and Transportation Services organized Bike to UT Day to “encourage cycling and bring awareness to bicycle use on campus and the community as a whole.” Bianca, who presents the CATS program at UT first-year orientation, offered specific tips to students about bicycling and parking on campus (riding on sidewalks is prohibited, as is locking up a bike to a railing instead of a bike rack).
BikeTexas CATS staff attended the event and provided information on Texas Bike Laws and fitted helmets. University of Texas students seemed particularly interested in learning bike laws. As we’ve discovered many times before, college students are often returning to bicycling after a long break in high school. As children, they probably did not receive bicycle safety instruction and never learned what laws govern bikes. The CATS program is a great opportunity for students to learn to be safe, healthy, and ride within the law!
Want CATS at your school? Contact us at cats@biketexas.org for more information.
